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William Mason
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad No. 25 "William Mason" is a type of 4-4-0 'American Standard', steam locomotive. It was Built in 1856 by William Mason of Taunton, Massachusetts, and is one of the only real American Standard's to operate as of today. (Yet, only half of the locomotive still has its original parts.) The No. 25 was used extensively during the war to transport Union troops and supplies. B&O President John Garrett understood the financial and political benefits of siding with the Union, despite his personal ties to the South. The engine, while not given a name (the road had ended the practice of naming locomotives at the time no. 25 was built), was the road's second engine to be numbered 25, replacing an earlier 4-4-0 of that number built by William Norris in 1839. This design further lowered the engine's center of gravity and made re-boilering easier. The number 25 was the road's first engine to have this smokebox design, as well as the road's first engine to have Stephenson link motion valve gear. William Mason has been preserved several times, as well as being owned by numerous different historical societies and museums. It is now currently owned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Balitmore, Maryland. Trivia *This engine was featured in the film Disney's Johnny Shiloh, The Swan, Tuck Everlasting, Gods and Generals, Raintree County, Wild Wild West as the "Wanderer" engine No 5. and Disney's' 'The Great Locomotive Chase as "The General". *There's a bit of debate over whether or not the William Mason is the olest operating steam locomotive in the US, yet its actually one of the oldest standard gauge locomotives to operate in partially-original condition. *The locomotive is named in honor of its builder, William Mason, who built around 754 steam locomotives at his Mason Machine Works firm in Taunton, Massachusetts from 1853 until his death in 1883. *The refurbished and re-created parts used for William Mason are what help power the "ancient" steam locomotive. *In 1998 The B&O "William Mason" as it arrived at the Strasburg Rail Road on February 26, 1998 after being out of service for approximately 36 years and later restored to service, and under steam. *The locomotive is one of the engines that pulled the train which carried Abraham Lincoln from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, D.C. for his inauguration in 1861. *As of 2013 William Mason has been in the process of undergoing an overhaul it'll take a little while longer to repair this old engine. *It was renumbered 55 in 1882 and now it renumbered and named as 25 "William Mason". *On November 20, 1950, it appeared as Milwaukee & Mississippi 1 for the Milwaukee Road Centennial. *In April of 1999 it operate with deer horns on the headlight. *The locomotive is sometimes on static display but it's still operates but only special occasions. (Just like V&T No. 22 (Inyo)). See also *Gallery Category:Steam Locomotives Category:Tender Engines Category:4-4-0 Steam Locomotives Category:Four Coupled Locomotives Category:American Locomotives